


Poached

by ifoundamoth



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Gen, Rainbowfeather Thief, sorry but ive got dragon brain, to ppl who follow me for ultra content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 12:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30055710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifoundamoth/pseuds/ifoundamoth
Summary: Rainbowfeather Thief:Disgruntled corven enter with promises of friendship, but leave with talons full of stolen hoards.
Kudos: 2





	Poached

The roving band of dragons, far away as they were, stuck out plain as day to the sharp eyes of the Raptorik beastclan. While the dimunitive birdmen usually traveled in flocks, only one was perched on a cliff overlooking the Reedcleft Ascent. Were he not above the eye level of most creatures, this corven would have been visible from miles away- bright plumage in a rainbow of colors and an equally colorful outfit. Owing to his intense colors, he had been given the name of another colorful bird- Zalis.

Zalis scrutinized the dragon caravan below, noting the wagon carting along a sizeable hoard. Among the dragons were a hulking guardian, several skydancers, two wildclaws and a single spiral dragon twisting ahead of all the others. There was a menagerie of familiars accompanying them, including centaurs. That was good- That meant the band of dragons was beastclan-friendly.

_ Well, looks like I found my next marks… _ He thought to himself with a sly grin. Well, as much as a beak  _ could _ grin. The skydancers would have been a problem were he a dragon, but they had issues detecting the intentions of other species, moreso for ones with small auras like Raptorik.

He leapt off the edge of the cliff in a dive. Spreading out his wings, he was buffeted upwards by the sudden air resistance before he resumed his glide. His destination was about half a mile ahead on the clan’s path, to which he made his fluttering descent.

As he hid behind a cluster of bamboo shoots, Zalis once again analyzed the approaching dragons. Raptorik were a tiny species, at about a foot tall, and corven like Zalis got even smaller. He had to be careful if he wanted to make out like a  _ living _ bandit. 

The dragons drew closer, and the spiral in the lead was now in full view- blue and yellow with swirling patterns and green eyes too dark to belong to the wind flight. 

Zalis checked his outfit one more time, then took a deep breath. “Right then, time to get into character…” He muttered to himself before breaking out into a frenzied run.

He burst out of the bamboo forest in a panicked sprint, making a beeline toward the caravan. He waved his arms desperately, catching the attention of the spiral. Said spiral’s eyes brightened as he looped towards Zalis with a smile. As he closed the distance, he rummaged for something in his pocket only to twist up in a start after hearing one of his clanmates shout. 

The result, like a trainwreck in slow motion, was the organized swirling locomotion being interrupted. The spiral tripped over the air itself, crashing headfirst onto the ground. That didn’t stop inertia from flipping him about multiple times before coming to a skidding stop.

Zalis met the spiral and his approaching clanmates. Panting, he looked behind him as if expecting something to pounce on him.

“I-I think I lost the phytocat.” Zalis wheezed in practiced Draconic. “Are you okay there? I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The spiral shook his head, clumps of dirt crumbling down. “No, I’m good! It happens a lot.” He went far too happily for someone who just ate dirt. But that was just how spirals were, Zalis supposed. Eager, and more importantly naive. 

The rest of the dragons began to catch up, starting with a dusty pink skydancer. “Ribbon dear, you’re going to hurt yourself badly if you don’t watch where you're flying…” She chastised in a matronly tone.

“Sorry Plume…” Ribbon went with a sheepish grin. “But look what I found!”

More and more dragon eyes were on Zalis. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated, even after all his  _ experience _ with dragons. “I reckon the phytocat saw you all coming and turned tail.”

Plume nodded with a look that was hard for even Zalis to decipher. “And why didn’t you just fly away?”

Zalis, though taken off guard by the question, was good at improv. “I was flying all day- My wings are  _ spent. _ I landed in the bamboo forest because I wanted to collect some shoots to cook dinner, but I let my guard down… That phytocat scared me so bad, I actually shed a few feathers!” The corven “recalled” with mock embarrassment. If there was one thing he knew, it was that it was harder for somebody to sniff out a lie if it made the teller look like an idiot.

After a few seconds, Plume sighed. “Goodness, that must have been harrowing. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Hey, I owe it all to you.” Zalis replied with a charming smile. “I’m Zalis, by the way. Nice to meet you!”

Ribbon practically leapt up like a spring. “I’m Ribbon!”

Zalis chuckled. “I heard! You’ve got a lot of energy, huh?”

“Yep!” Ribbon puffed his chest. “That’s why I lead the caravan! There’s no scout- or cook- better than me!”

_ “Really _ now?” Zalis went with feigned interest. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you don’t suppose I could try a bit of your cooking? I uh, dropped my bamboo shoots. I have a little treasure on me I can compensate you with.”

Zalis produced a tiny satchel of gold coins, and Ribbon’s eyes gleamed.

* * *

As Zalis thought, the wind caravan was allied with several local beastclans. In particular, he saw harpies, centaurs, and miths accompanying the dragons milling about their camp for the night. 

There was a large fire pit that had been freshly dug, a huge metal wok set atop a bamboo grate. Ribbon fanned the flames as the water inside the wok boiled. As dusk settled over the Windswept Plateau, the flames grew large and bright. A skydancer and his centaur reclined near the fire, and a lone harpy fanned her wings to absorb the warmth. One of the wildclaws had to yank their mith companion back by the antennae to prevent them from getting too close to the warm light.

Ribbon worked his magic, tossing vegetables and grains into the bubbling water to create a broth. He had plates of chopped roots and cubed meat for later, but for now he sprinkled in herbs and spices with flourish.

Zalis smiled, enjoying the show. He’d be a fool to turn down a cheap meal, and it looked like this was going to be a particularly good one. And if he was able to pull his heist off, then he’d be able to turn that tiny pouch of treasure into thousands.

He took a break from watching Ribbon to scan the rest of the camp. He’d mapped it earlier, but it wouldn’t hurt to look again. The hoard was currently overseen by the clan’s leader, an enormous red guardian named Squalltooth. Despite his looks, he had a gentle disposition, though Plume had warned him that the dragon had a temper.

Suddenly, another shape caught Zalis’s eye. A dappled brown centaur, certainly of the Dunhoof herd. She watched him cautiously, ears held at a slight angle. Her eyes held… Sadness? Fear? Disappointment? Zalis was good at reading people, a requirement for his job, but even he didn’t know what to make of her expression?

_ Is she on to me? _ Zalis wondered. His feathers ruffed slightly, a subconscious reaction to nervousness that he had yet to stamp out fully.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” 

Zalis almost jumped off of his seat. Given that his seat was a small rock, that wouldn’t have been very far, but still. “Just lost in thought, Ribbon.”

“Okay!” Ribbon smiled, dumping in the meat chunks. The stew was starting to smell truly divine now, and even Zalis couldn’t help but drool at the scent. “Don’t worry, dinner’ll be ready soon.” The spiral said with a wink.

“That’s good, I’m just about starving after all that excitement today.” Zalis smiled back. “Say, your hoard’s  _ huge, _ even for a band of dragons as big as you. What’s even  _ in _ there?” He asked casually. 

“Oh, the usual. Food stockpiles and alllll sorts of trinkets we find as we travel!”

“That must be a lot of trinkets!” Zalis exclaimed. “Back in my flock, we had a big hoard like that too. Unfortunately, that meant that thieves would try to get at it a lot, so we kept our most valuable treasure safe in our matriarch’s nest.”

Ribbon’s eyes widened. “Really? What was the treasure?”

Zalis grinned. “A  _ huge _ emerald! It’s even bigger than me, and it’s as clear and green as the Windsinger himself!”

“Wow, that’s so  _ cool!” _ Ribbon shimmied in excitement, sending undulations down his serpentine body.

“Believe me, it is! Do you guys have anything like that in your clan? I feel like my flock were the only ones.” Another dragon may have raised an eyebrow at this, but Zalis knew that spirals' mouths tended to run faster than their brains.

Ribbon looked left and right in a furtive manner before leaning in and whispering, “I heard that Squalltooth… Has an  _ imperial scroll!” _

Zalis’s brain stopped. “...Come again?” He asked, wanting to confirm what he thought he just heard.

“An imperial scroll…” Ribbon whispered again, as if telling a spooky story. “Apparently it was passed down by his parents. Rumor has it he keeps it hidden in either a plain rusty chest or a stone statue so nobody steals it or uses it on accident...”

Zalis tuned out, head rushing with possibilities. An imperial scroll! What a rare and valuable find… If Zalis could get a hold of it and sell it off, then he’d never have to work a day in his life!

“Whoa, he’s so  _ lucky!” _ Zalis whispered back.

Ribbon looked confused. “Lucky? His great-great-great grandmatron died in the Wind-Plague battle of the Ascent!”

“Uh, it was lucky that he got out alive.” Zalis stammered. “Poor guy had to raise his kids without a wife though.”

“You’re right about that!” Ribbon replied, lifting the spoon from the wok to sip. “Ooh, dinner’s ready!”

Dinner proceeded calmly, stew being passed around to all the dragons and familiars. Ribbon had yet to pour a bowl for himself, though Zalis chalked that up to the young dragon’s giving nature.

Zalis’s head filled with daydreams about affluent splendor as his belly filled with delicious stew. Really, that spiral kid was an amazing cook!

And yet… Zalis found the centaur watching him again, her eyes peeking up from the bowl she was sipping from, ears still a tad droopy. Realizing he had seen her, she quickly set the bowl down and started motioning with both arms as if shooing something away.

That was.. Odd.

Ribbon caught sight of the centaur and waved to her, flashing a smile. She stiffened, ears falling even lower. Picking up her bowl, she stood up quick enough to not spill its contents and trotted away.

“I think she musta had a bad experience with a spiral dragon…” Ribbon started sadly. “I think she’s scared of me.”

Zalis patted the spiral’s scaly hide. “Don’t feel bad, maybe she’s just shy.”  _ Or maybe she figured me out and is trying to warn me away from the hoard… _ He thought.

Oh well, he’d burn that bridge when he got to it. For now, he was content to finish his bowl of savory stew.

Zalis made a note to ask Ribbon for the recipe before going to take the scroll.

* * *

Hours after the fire died down and the dragons fell asleep, Zalis had returned after “parting ways”.

Before he left, Ribbon had bragged to him about passing his hoard guard duty for the night off onto a younger, less experienced dragon because “nothing ever happens around here anyway”. Said dragon was easily led away by the sound of a rock dropped nearby. Zalis would have laughed if he weren’t sneaking through the night. Ribbon’s heart seemed to be a  _ lot _ bigger than his brain.

Pushing away habit, he ignored the small sacks of treasure and gems near the end of the wagon. He had a much bigger fish to fry.

There was an old, rusty chest close by. Zalis slunk over, pulling out several pins from his robe. He was experienced enough with these rusty chests to be able to open the near-silently, even given how creaky they were.

Nothing but bone fragments and green wing wraps in that one. Zalis lowered the lid with a sigh, peeking out for any sign of the guard returning. As he did, he glimpsed an odd stone statue near a sleeping Squalltooth, and everything clicked.

Zalis crept over, examining the statue. It was very small, just a bit shorter than he was, and if it was light enough, then perhaps he could carry it away aloft. He gripped the statue with both clawed hands and tugged at it experimentally. It was lifted easily even for a creature of his size. It had to be hollow inside!

Zalis hefted the statue again, so excited he could barely stand it. He wrapped his arms around it, spreading his wings-

“MY _CHARGE!”_

-and forgetting that he was right next to a now very much _awake_ guardian dragon.

“Unhand. My. Charge.” Squalltooth snarled, nostrils flaring. The exhale alone could have knocked Zalis over if he wasn’t clinging to the statue. 

_“Y-yessir.”_ Zalis nodded awkwardly, backing away.

“We give you _food.”_ Squalltooth growled. “We offer you _hospitality._ And _this_ is how you repay us? With _thievery?”_

“I’ll just, uh, leave and never come back now.” Zalis spun around, only to be knocked down by a blue and yellow blur. He found himself trapped in scaly coils, unable to squirm out.

“Got’im boss!” Ribbon grinned. “I’ll take care of this.”

Squalltooth let out a deep sigh. “Ensure that he does not come anywhere near the clan again. He is no longer welcome here.”

“Right-o!” Ribbon flapped, Zalis dangling from his coils until they reached the bamboo forest. 

The corven relaxed himself, seeing a different way out. Time to turn on the charm. “Look Ribbon, I’m really sorry!” He plead. “I made a really stupid mistake because I was desperate. Can you forgive me?” 

And by _forgive,_ he meant “release me so I can live to swipe the imperial scroll another day”.

“Oh, you can drop the act. I knew your intentions from the start.” Ribbon went casually.

Zalis resumed his struggling, but not before squeaking out, “T-then why did you even let me in?”

Ribbon was suddenly too close, smiling the same way he always did. Only now, Zalis was made uncomfortably aware of how long, sharp, and numerous his teeth were. With his usual enthusiasm, Ribbon replied:

“Raptorik taste  _ amazing _ when you cook ’em in a barely-simmering broth. I just needed an excuse to get’cha!”


End file.
